| Rise Mzansi | |
| Abbreviation: | RISE |
| Leader: | Songezo Zibi |
| Chairperson: | Vuyiswa Ramokgopa |
| Leader1 Title: | Chief Organiser |
| Leader1 Name: | Makashule Gana |
| Leader2 Title: | National Coordinator |
| Leader2 Name: | Esther Padi |
| Leader3 Title: | Head of Policy |
| Leader3 Name: | Mandla Isaacs |
| Leader4 Title: | Deputy Chairperson |
| Leader4 Name: | Cilna Steyn |
| Leader5 Title: | Civic Alliances Coordinator |
| Leader5 Name: | Irfaan Mangera |
| Spokesperson: | Tebogo Moalusi |
| Founder: | Songezo Zibi |
| Ideology: | Social democracy Third Way |
| Ideology: | Social democracy |
| Position: | Centre to centre-left--> |
| Seats1 Title: | National Assembly |
| Seats2 Title: | National Council of Provinces |
| Seats4 Title: | Provincial Legislatures |
| Country: | South Africa |
Rise Mzansi (RISE) is a South African political party founded in April 2023. It is led by Songezo Zibi, a former newspaper editor and co-founder of the Rivonia Circle think tank. The party characterises their ideology as social democratic but has been defined elsewhere as neoliberal.
Rise Mzansi was launched on 19 April 2023 at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Songezo Zibi was named as party leader.[1] Zibi is former associate editor of the Financial Mail and former editor of Business Day as well as the Rivonia Circle think tank co-founder. The party's national leadership includes former Democratic Alliance public representative Makashule Gana, former anti-apartheid activist Ishmael Mkhabela, Mandla Isaacs former speechwriter for Minister Malusi Gigaba, and Nick Binedell, founder of the GIBS business school.[2] [3] The party intends on contesting the 2024 general elections with Zibi as the party's presidential candidate.[4]
In August 2023, Member of Parliament Nomsa Marchesi resigned from the Democratic Alliance and joined Rise Mzansi as the party's Free State convenor.[5] In November 2023, student leader David Kabwa's party, MOVE SA, announced that it would contest the 2024 elections under the banner of Rise Mzansi.[6] In January 2024, Khume Ramulifho, another former member of the DA joined the party.[7]
Rise Mzansi's leader, Songezo Zibi, has described himself as a social democrat[8] and used to give other politicians copies of the book The Third Man, a memoir by Peter Mandelson that documents and advocates third way politics as implemented by New Labour in the UK.[9] He has also written in support of the third way.[10] [11]
Zibi describes Rise Mzansi as a "typical European centrist party." The party has been described by commentators as "leaning towards social democracy"[12] or as neoliberal with social democratic rhetoric.[13]
The party's manifesto for the 2024 election has been described as focused on professionalising the government of South Africa and reducing corruption.
According to their website, they stand for the following principles:[14]
Rise Mzansi's campaign slogan for the general elections is "2024 Is Our 1994", in reference to South Africa's first democratic elections.[15] In April 2023, Rise Mzansi rejected calls to join the Democratic Alliance-initiated "Moonshot Pact" (later Multi-Party Charter) of opposition parties on the grounds that the pact is solely based on removing the ANC and keeping the EFF from national power. Rather than forming itself only around opposing the ANC, Rise Mzansi says it is focused on developing substantive alternative politics and policies.[16]
In 2024 general election, Rise Mzansi won two seats in the Parliament (National Assembly) with 0,42% of the vote.[17]
In June 2024, Rise joined the Government of National Unity (GNU), but was not allocated any positions in the Cabinet, nor any deputy ministers.[18]
The IEC released donor information for the period 1 October to 31 December 2023; Rise Mzansi raised R16.7 million; more than any other party during that period.[19]
In August 2024, Axolile Notywala, the party's candidate for Premier of the Western Cape during the 2024 Western Cape provincial election, was appointed by Good to fill a vacancy in the City of Cape Town council. Rise Mzansi stated that the arrangement "cements the two parties' commitment to revive conversations about realigning social democratic politics" and did not not rule out the possibility of a merger,[20] while Good's Brett Herron said that "we are confident that this is only the beginning of a much broader and richer project".[21]
|-! Election! Party leader! Total votes! Share of vote! Seats! +/–! Government|-! 2024| Songezo Zibi| 67,975| 0.42%| | 2||}
|-! Election! Total # of
seats won! +/–! Government|-! 2024| | New| |}
! rowspan=2 | Election[22] ! colspan=2 | Eastern Cape! colspan=2 | Free State! colspan=2 | Gauteng! colspan=2 | Kwazulu-Natal! colspan=2 | Limpopo! colspan=2 | Mpumalanga! colspan=2 | North-West! colspan=2 | Northern Cape! colspan=2 | Western Cape|-! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats! % !! Seats|-! 2024| 0.29 || 0/73| 0.28 || 0/30| 0.98 || 1/80| 0.11 || 0/80| 0.15 || 0/64| 0.19 || 0/51| 0.36 || 0/38| 0.16 || 0/30| 0.51 || 0/42|}